Project Overview

Writing is something to take pride in and your pen is an expression of who you are. The Possibilities ballpoint pen by if… shows that you are a thoughtful influencer and far from being pretentious.

Respecting tradition, it borrows stylized elements from the quill and fountain pen to reconnect with the joy of writing while a standard G2 ballpoint refill brings the convenience and versatility of modern writing.

It’s equally at home in the boardroom or creative studio as it is in the urban jungle or great outdoors with a clean distinctive look and unique features including:

• Integrated retracting cover to protect the writing tip from damage or drying out
• Single Motion Activation - squeeze the grip & write… no click, twist or un-capping
• A pocket clip that closes to discourage putting it away when in writing mode
• Quick click-to-fit refill replacement / changing with no disassembly needed
• Durability enough to use every day – forever

Organisation

Dave Colliver Industrial Design

Team

Dave Colliver

Project Brief

You have most likely owned one of those special pens. One that held great sentimental value, one you wanted to use every day but you were torn. Will it wear out from over use or will at stay pristine, as a memento, never to be used?

The challenge was to create a pen that was not only bold, stylish and unique but was also capable of withstanding the rigors of everyday use.

This durability challenge has been met both internally and externally. A completely original internal mechanism eliminates the traditional opposing forces that cause wear and fatigue in other pens. A solid one piece metal injection molded barrel and clip is virtually indestructible.

Project Innovation/Need

Once you pick the Possibilities ballpoint pen up, you’ll notice something else a little… different.

There’s no cap to remove, button to press or barrel tip to twist. Simply squeeze the grip to write. The protective cover retracts to expose the writing tip, the pocket clip closes and a button extends from the back of the barrel. Press it and the cover extends back over the tip.

Changing the refill is just as simple. Press the refill down at the front to unclip and pull it out. To fit a new refill, push it in and press it up to clip it in place. There is no disassembly needed and no small parts to damage or lose.

The balance is biased slightly below the grip and towards the tip with an overall weight of 25 grams for optimum control and practicality.

The grip is medium Duro and reduces in size towards the top to encourage a soft, angled writing position perfect for long sessions of immaculate handwriting.

Design Challenge

The greatest design challenge was also the greatest achievement – simple affordable quality.

The relentless application of Eliminate – Combine – Rearrange – Simplify (ECRS) until all that was left was pure functional precision took time and lots of experimentation. So many concepts, so many lessons learned, one great result.

Sustainability

A Lean approach was taken to minimize all possible waste in the materials, number of components, supply chain, assembly processes and packaging.

Beyond a focus on the smallest possible production footprint, the Possibilities ballpoint pen is designed to simply last.